Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

5-2021

Abstract

Trend elimination and business cycle estimation are analyzed by finite sample and asymptotic methods. An overview history is provided, operator theory is developed, limit theory as the sample size n → ∞ is derived, and filtered series properties are studied relative to smoothing parameter (λ) behavior. Simulations reveal that limit theory with λ =O(n4) delivers excellent approximations to the HP filter for common sample sizes but fails to remove stochastic trends, contrary to standard thinking in macroeconomics and thereby explaining ‘spurious cycle’ effects of the HP filter. The findings are related to the long run effects of the GFC.

Keywords

Detrending, Graduation, Hodrick Prescott filter, Integrated process, Limit theory, Smoothing, Trend break, Whittaker filter

Discipline

Econometrics

Research Areas

Econometrics

Publication

International Economic Review

Volume

62

Issue

2

First Page

469

Last Page

520

ISSN

0020-6598

Identifier

10.1111/iere.12494

Publisher

Wiley

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12494

Included in

Econometrics Commons

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